Cheshire East Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)

Government’s National Bus Strategy - “Bus Back Better” - (March 2021) sets out the opportunity to address the challenges facing local bus networks. It requires Cheshire East Council, as the Local Transport Authority to produce and maintain a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for the whole borough. 

The local bus network in Cheshire East is facing a number of challenges due to a long-term structural decline in patronage; compounded by recent loss of ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Use of buses could take some time to recover, as passengers need to be confident that using bus services will provide the reliable, safe and cost-effective transport that they expect. These circumstances are not unique to Cheshire East and the council must work in partnership with local bus companies to make improvements.

Our Bus Service Improvement Plan aims to deliver local bus networks that support our urban and rural economies and contribute to our Environment Strategy. Improving the speed, reliability and quality of public transport will encourage more residents to choose bus, making fewer car journeys and contributing to our carbon reduction challenge.

• Cheshire East Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024 (PDF, 2.8MB)

This BSIP outlines our ambitions for the bus network as well as our commitment to delivering improved services for existing bus passengers and growing passenger numbers by encouraging changes in travel behaviour.

We have set out how we plan to improve our buses in our BSIP for 2024 and their alignment to National Bus Strategy for England (NBSfE) objectives. This BSIP builds on the 2021 BSIP and sets out a realistic and attractive plan summarising what has been delivered up to now within Cheshire East, what we have programmed for delivery by 2025, as well as setting out our ambitions and proposals for the future up to 2035 (subject to funding). It also outlines our achievements against 2021 BSIP targets and our refreshed targets and arrangements for monitoring our performance.

Our BSIP will continue to be developed through partnership working between the Council, commercial bus operators and user groups.

Our first BSIP was published on 31 October 2021.

• Cheshire East’s Bus Service Improvement Plan 2021 (PDF, 12MB)

Passenger Charter

A Bus Passenger Charter has been developed to support our Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and is a pledge to provide the best possible bus network in Cheshire East. This charter has been created in partnership between Cheshire East Council, local bus operators, bus users, and stakeholders. It covers all locally registered bus services provided by operators across Cheshire East.

This Bus Passenger Charter establishes a consistent standard for all bus services to meet (including punctuality, accessibility, vehicle cleanliness and, information), sets out what passengers can expect from bus operators delivering local bus services across Cheshire East, and gives bus users the ability to hold all partners to account to the commitments we make.

• Cheshire East Bus Passenger Charter (PDF, 394KB)

Enhanced Partnership

On the 21 July 2022 the decision was made to ‘make’ the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme documents following committee endorsement. This decision was made following a bus operator objection period and consultation period running from the 13 June 2022 to the 11 July 2022.

Following the production of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) for Cheshire East and in accordance with Bus Back Better: National Bus Strategy for England, we have worked in unison with bus operators to publish an Enhanced Partnership plan and Enhanced Partnership Scheme. These are formal documents which are available for download:

• Cheshire East Bus Service Enhanced Partnership Plan 2024 (PDF, 1.6MB) contains the high-level vision and objectives for bus services in the local area and reaffirms objectives and targets set out within relevant sections of the BSIP.
• Cheshire East Bus Service Enhanced Partnership Scheme 2024 (PDF, 2MB) sets out the precise detail of how the BSIP vision and objectives will be achieved, including any commitments made by the local authority or standards to be met by bus operators.

Public notice of the intention to vary the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme (Transport Act 2000 s138L(1)(d)):

Following the development of proposed variations to Cheshire East’s Enhanced Partnership Plan (EP Plan) and Scheme (EP Scheme) the documents entered an Operator Objection Period on Tuesday 15^th October 2024. This period ran for 28-days, allowing operators to submit any formal comments regarding the documents. This objection period closed on the Tuesday 12^th November 2024, without any objections, enabling the proposed variations to proceed. The below EP Plan and Scheme variations have been put forward aligned to our refreshed Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and delivery programme.

EP Plan Variations

EP Scheme Variations

Bus service operator grant annual outputs report 2023-2024

• Bus service operator grant: annual outputs report 2023-2024 (PDF, 76KB)

Public transport champion

Councillor Lata Anderson has been appointed as Cheshire East’s Public Transport Champion. The ‘public transport champion’ will work to promote use of the public transport network across the borough. She will work alongside senior council officers and policymakers, to help focus and guide council policies.